Journey to the Isle of the Lost
by Boomboxninja007
Summary: Before Prince Ben can convince anyone to permit the children of the villains a chance, he has to prove that they can be trusted. He announces that he will go to the Isle himself and find VKs with good hearts and he enlists his friends to come along. At first, everything goes according to plan, but when evil arises to destroy Auradon, heroes and villains will have to unite once more
1. Introduction

Eight souls, entwined, eternally as one,

Two worlds, with secrets to be undone.

Rage shines brighter than the fiery sun,

Peace comes only when the war is done.

* * *

So choose your warriors, mighty and true.

And ready yourselves for impending doom.

For if they fail, all good will lose.

Make haste, ye kings, for time draws soon.

* * *

Two worlds will meet to challenge the dark

And together will they ignite a spark.

As evil rises to mock in laughter,

The words of _happily_ _ever_ _after_.


	2. Prologue

**_Six years ago..._**

Ben stood uncomfortably in the center of a small clearing. At his feet sparkled the Enchanted Lake. To his left, a small white gazebo decorated beautifully with elegant violets and roses. To his right, sitting near the water, a stunning girl with shoulder-length purple hair waited nervously. She glanced toward him and her green eyes flashed in surprise.

"Ben?" she sat up from the water and leaned against the pillars. He gave no response. She blinked and her smile slowly slid into a frown. "Ben, what's wrong?"

He stared at her, speechless. And then, he finally found the words to voice his thoughts. "I'm...I'm sorry," he stammered. "But...I don't...don't know who you are." Then, in an act to save face, he hastily took a step toward her and stuck out his hand. "I'm Ben, King Beast's-"

"King Beasts and Queen Belle's son," the girl cut him off with a small nod. "I know."

"Erm..." Ben coughed awkwardly, trying to hide a furious flush of embarrassment. He noticed that she still had yet to introduce herself. "So, are you...a family friend?" He tried to sound as polite as he could, while his brain was frantically tried to fit the absent pieces together.

He waited for her face to fall, for him to become angry with him. But, to his surprise, the girl through back her head and laughed. "_Hardly_. Pretty sure your family hates me, actually. Along with the rest of Auradon, of course." She waved a dismissive hand as though it didn't bother her one bit.

He didn't buy it though. "I'm sure that's not true," he protested, scooting closer and taking her hands in his. She looked up at him in surprise. "I think you are...very pretty." He was so startled by his own words, but he didn't react externally.

The girl chuckled sadly. "But you aren't like them, Ben. To them," She waved a hand toward the city. "I'll never be more than a villain's kid."

She's from the Isle? Now Ben knew he had to be dreaming. There were no villains in Auradon. His father had made sure of that long before he'd been born. So, that left only two possibilities. One, the girl was lying to him and she was really someone in his kingdom that he just hadn't met. Or, two, she was who she said and this was all just some bad dream...with a beautiful girl who didn't really exist.

He elected to go with the second option.

"You're not real."

The girl looked at him, seeming a bit confused, but understanding at the same time. "What do you mean?" she asked softly. "_Of course_ I'm real. I'm sitting here talking to you aren't I?"

"But that's...no...that's not what I..." Ben protested. He took a deep breath and let it all out in a whoosh. "I...I just _meant_...I've never met a girl..." He trailed off at her amused expression. And then he realized what he'd said. "Like you!" he hastily added. "Never met a girl like you!" Internally he groaned at his stupidity.

The girl smiled. She had a radiant smile. Ben watched as she stood up and prepared to leave. "_Wait_!" he exclaimed. "What's your name? How can I find you again?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment as she put on her punk jacket. "My name? That you will have to earn, I'm afraid. As to how to find me..." She smirked. " I don't think you'll have any trouble with that. You'll figure it out. You're going to be _kin_g remember? You'll think of something. Goodbye, Ben." With that, she turned, and, snatching one more plump strawberry from the bowl, started up the path toward the school.

Ben sighed as he watched her go.

And then, in the distance, someone screamed.

Ben awoke with a jerk. This was followed promptly by a bang, a crash, and a thump as his best friend flew out of the bunk underneath him and ended up in a jumbled mess on the floor. Ben sighed at this and snuck a glance at his watch. _1:35. Huh. That's a new record for him. _"Doug," he groaned, leaning over the railing of his bed to find the boy fumbling around blindly for his glasses. He looked a bit like a chicken whose head had been cut off, the future king decided groggily. "Dude, _seriously_? _Again_?"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Doug yelped, finally managing to detangle himself from his blankets.

Ben rolled his eyes. So it went _every tim_e Doug came for a sleepover. The next morning would find them both exhausted from a night when Ben couldn't sleep and would like awake, staring at the ceiling for hours on end, or Doug would do what he just did and wake the whole neighborhood with his panicked screams and outlandish nightmares. He'd told Ben about a couple of them. Though the dwarf was older in some and younger in others, the same concept always seemed to apply. They all contained destruction and death to Auradon, the family of dwarfs especially. The rest, Ben had pieced together from Doug's journal (_what_? It wasn't _hi_s fault Doug had left it open and in plain view!). Between the pages of formulas and equations, Doug had jotted down notes about his nightmares. They kept circling back to one thing and one thing only. Or, more accurately, one _someone_. A teenage girl with unruly blue hair and dark brown eyes.

So, it seemed he and Doug were in the same boat. Both single, both dreaming of strange girls at night. But they were only _ten_ years old! _Surely_ they didn't need to be thinking about girls! Besides, Ben had his future kingdom to look out for, and his friends, of course. Doug had...well, Doug had his textbooks to keep him happy. _Too_ _bad_ he couldn't marry _them_.

"Are you all right?" he called down in a hushed whisper as not to wake up his parents. Without waiting for an answer, he worked his way to the end of the bed and down the ladder to where his favorite pair of fuzzy slippers were waiting for him.

Doug stumbled to his feet and turned to face him. "Y-yeah. I'm f-fine."

Now, Ben was no psychic, but he could smell a lie from a mile away. Call it an inherent trait of being part-Beast. Not that he needed much more evidence than the sheer look of panic in the boy's tear-filled green eyes. Ben immediately felt bad for him. "Was it the dream again?" he asked kindly, going over and putting an arm around the sniffling boy.

Doug nodded weakly as he put his glasses on. His hair was rustled, packed to the brim with rat nests, and his entire undersized body was quivering uncontrollably. " I-I'm sorry," he kept repeating softly. "B-Ben, really I-I-"

"Hey, hey," Ben cut him off. "It's _okay_. I get it. Don't worry about it. Come on. Try to go back to sleep, though, 'kay?"

Doug nodded submissively, turning and crawling back into bed. He pulled his blankets up around him fearfully, watching as Ben climbed back into the top bunk. As he lay back down, he heard Doug's whisper.

"Ben?"

"Yeah?"

"You don't think my dreams will..._come_ _true_...do you?" There was no mistaking the terror in his shaking voice.

Ben paused at the thought. "How could they?" he finally said. "My Dad locked all the villains in the Isle." He frowned, thinking about the girl again. What if she _was_ really from the Isle? How would he find her again? After all, he couldn't rightly _go_ there, could he?

Doug hummed something. "Ben?"

"Yes, Doug?"

"Thanks."

Ben was surprised by this. He smiled as he laid his head against his pillow. "Anytime. Goodnight, Doug."

"'Night Ben." And that was the last he heard from the dwarf.

But his mind was still working overtime with Doug's innocent question. What if the villains _could_ get to Auradon? What if there was some way to bring them over safely? But, being honest, he knew why he was even considering such an insane plan. It was the girl. She was still up in his head. Her smile. The way she'd looked at him...if she actually was on the Isle, surly he couldn't let her stay there, right?

He recalled her words. _You'll_ _figure_ _it_ _out_. Well, she was right. He may not have had any ideas at that moment, but, one thing was for sure, he wouldn't give up until he found a way. He thought once more of the purplette as he drifted off to sleep.

_And then, maybe one day, I'll get to meet you._


	3. A Fairy Tale Life

_**Present Day..**._

"Ben! Prince Ben! Over here! Ben! Look here! _Here_!"

The crowd was suffocating. Ben blinked furiously as he struggled through the ocean of reporters toward the school. He could feel the furious blush rise in his cheeks as several students turned to gaze at him curiously, wondering who it was who had just arrived with the furious flock of reports hot in pursuit. So...not the greatest entrance for the first day of high school.

Flashing a weak, forced smile on their direction, he ducked his head and jogged toward the large iron gates surrounding the school and the pedestal with a sign which read _Auradon Prep: Goodness Doesn't Get Any __Better__! _He exhaled deeply and let a small genuine smile creep over his face. This was the life. Away from the paparazzi, the taste of freedom was unfathomable. Every moment he got to himself was special. It was something that he, as future king, would surely never forget.

"Ben? Ben? Oh! Ben! There you are!"

Ben whipped around, tensing, expecting the mob to appear and chase him down again. But, instead of the hundreds of cameras and flashing lights, he spotted a tussle of light brown hair and a spectacled face appeared around a nearby cluster of trees. Ben sighed in relief as Doug hurried over to join him. The dwarf was dressed very differently than Ben. While the king was in dark blue and an even darker jacket (with a crown stitched into the breast pocket), Doug was in some weird blue shirt, checkered pants that _so _did not match, and a strange tan hat. Ben raised an eyebrow at this choice of wardrobe but Doug seemed unbothered. He supposed the dwarf had not yet grown out of his middle-school appearance, or his middle school voice, either, for that matter.

"Morning, D," Ben sighed as the two fell in step. Before them loomed the castle of Auradon Prep. Ben could see the flags waving in the breeze, and could hear the excited buzz of students as the campus swarmed with eager and hopeful freshmen. This prompted his next question. "You ready for high school?"

Doug beamed and adjusted his glasses just so. "Yes! I've been researching the courses offered here. Did you know that they offer AP Chemistry to freshmen who pass an early bird exam? _Chemistry_!" His voice cracked excitedly. Ben glanced over at him and noticed the dreamy look in the dwarf's eyes. He couldn't help but smirk.

"I think you get a lot more excited for school than I do," he confessed. They rounded the bend and ducked through the arch welcoming them onto the campus. "But, hey," he added, slapping his friend on the shoulder. "Who knows? Maybe I'll ace biology and come and join you." There was teasing in his voice.

Doug laughed. He opened his mouth to shoot back some sort of retort.

"_Ohhhhhhh __Beennnnnnyyyyyboooo_!"

The two boys froze at the overly loud, slightly obnoxious, and highly off-key shrill that flooded the clearing. They turned, and Doug was nearly blown over by the frilly pink whirlwind, better known as Audrey. Ben blinked, startled, as the girl appeared at his side, practically knocking Doug out of the way in her haste. "Er...hi, Audrey," he stammered. Behind her, Doug fixed his askew glasses and began to slink off. "Doug!" he shouted, causing the boy to jump. "I'll come find you later! There's something I want to ask you!"

Doug nodded...and then bolted.

Ben sighed and turned helplessly back to Audrey was staring at him lovingly, putting on a fake and extremely cheesy smile. _I'm doomed._

The rest of the day went as expected. Once he'd managed to detach himself from an ever-clingy Audrey, he'd found his way to all of his new classes, met this _craz_y girl who, upon learning he was Belle and Beast's son, challenged him to a duel, and nearly ended up stabbing Doug in the process. The dwarf, on the other hand, seemed in heaven. When Ben finally caught up to him at lunch, he had already scoped out the library, claimed a small corner table for himself, and, when he arrived for lunch, he was carrying an arm load of books nearly the size of _him_.

And it was at this point that Ben decided to pose the question.

"So, you guys know this is my fifteenth birthday, right?"

Doug and Audrey nodded. Chad, who'd been busy taking selfies on his new phone, glanced up at this and nodded slowly. "And?" he questioned. "What about it?"

"I'm going to be sixteen next year."

Audrey giggled. It was an alarming sound. "Oh, Benny Boo, we _know_."

Ben smiled forcibly and coughed before continuing. "Well, I think I know what my first proclamation will be. But, since you all are my friends, I wanted...to ask you first."

_That_ got everyone's attention. Audrey stopped twirling her hair, Chad put his phone down, and Doug looked over the tops of his lenses and his book. "Yeah?" the dwarf urged when no one said a word. "Go on."

Ben hesitated. "Well, you see, I've been having these dreams and..." He couldn't meet Doug 's gaze, especially since the nerd would know _exactly_ where this conversation was leading. It was still ingrained in his brain, as clear as it had been when they were ten years old. He took a deep breath. "I want to let the children on the Isle of the Lost to come here, to Auradon."

The reactions were instantaneous. Audrey blinked, her mouth falling open in outraged disgust. Chad nearly dropped his phone and Doug sat his book down, his hands already beginning to shake. But it was Audrey who spoke first. "Um...Ben?" The nickname was dropped. At least there was _one_ advantage to all of it. Ben stared at her as she reached across the table and took his hands. "_Please_ tell me you hit your head...or woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Bringing villain's kids here...any of them...that's just_ asking_ for trouble. Besides, _Maleficent_ has a daughter. And...what if _she_ comes? She'll spell m-us all!"

Ben nodded, taking her opinion into consideration. "Chad?" he questioned, his gaze moving to the blond. "What do you think?"

Chad, who had been staring dreamily at Audrey for the past minute-and-a-half, suddenly snapped back into consciousness. "I don't know, Ben," he said. "It seems risky. L-like Audrey said. They've all been raised to be as bad as their parents. How could we ever trust them? And who would you select anyway? There have to be over..." He paused to think. "A_ hundred_ kids. How many could you bring?"

"Four," Ben decided abruptly. _Four. That's a good number_. Not to mention the certain purple-haired girl that he knew he had to find. Somehow. "We'd start with four. Just...just the ones that seem they could have a chance to become a hero."

Chad raised an eyebrow but made no further argument. And now came the moment of truth. Taking a deep breath, Ben twisted toward Doug who had gone ashen-faced and was trembling terribly. "Doug?" Ben questioned gently.

Doug looked up at him with wide eyes. There was no doubt in Ben's mind what he was thinking of. He immediately felt bad. But what could he do? Put aside his dream for a nightmare that was...what?...ten years old? A child's fantasy? They weren't kids anymore. As guilty as it made him, he knew he had to do it.

"I...I...I'm sorry," Doug stammered, standing up hurriedly and backing away from the table. "I...I...just.._.can't_."

"Doug...hold on...I wasn't saying..." Ben began but the dwarf was already gone. He sighed, sinking lower in his seat, furious with himself. He felt Chad and Audrey's gazes on him as they went back to eating, unbothered. Ben stared at his peanut and jelly sandwich and his heart dropped.

"Ben?" Audrey questioned. "What is it?"

Ben shoved his food away. "I have to go," he told them, gathering up his backpack, throwing it over his shoulders, and sprinting out the door after Doug. He spotted him moments after he stepped out the door, walking at a frantic pace through the garden toward the library. "Wait!" Ben shouted, racing down the steps three at a time. Doug glanced back at him but then looked away and picked up his pace. He was almost running now. "Doug!" Ben yelled after him as he pushed his way through a group of students who yelped in surprise. "Come on! Wait up!"

He broke into a full sprint. Doug lowered his head and kept walking but Ben wasn't going to let him just walk away. "Doug!" he gasped, speeding around him and blocking his path. Doug backed up with a sigh, surrendering, knowing he was caught. "Before you get mad at me again," Ben went on. "I wanted to explain a couple of things to you. You're my best friend. I _know_ the idea of bringing villains to Auradon...well...terrifies you, but it's also the right thing to do. And I promise that I won't let anything happen to you or your family. I'll watch out for any blue-haired girls, okay?" He slapped a hand on the dwarf's shoulder. "But I _need _you to support me, dude. This is important to me. I want to fix Auradon. And..." he took a deep breath and held out his hand. "I need your help to do that."

Doug stared at the hand for a long moment and then up at Ben. Then, he took off his glasses, wiped away his tears, and took Ben's hand. "Okay," he said softly. "I'll help you."

Ben smiled. "Great! Thank you so much!" They let go and he fell in step alongside his friend once more as he steered Doug back toward the cafeteria.

"So what's your plan?" Doug questioned as he once more adjusted his glasses.

"My...plan?"

Doug sighed and immediately went into his "professor-tone". "You _must _have a plan," he pointed out. "You can't just...go to the Isle and select four...k-kids. Besides, your father is still king. What does he think about all of this?"

"Honestly? I haven't told him yet."

Doug stared in disbelief. "Ben! You've _got_ to tell him!"

"But-"

"No 'buts'! That's your next move," Doug cut him off as they once more entered the building. "Talk to your father at the next meeting," he advised as the sound of voices thundered through the halls. "And then go from there. And," he added as he opened the door the cafeteria. "Let me know how it goes, okay?"

Ben promised as they entered the dining hall and returned to the others. _Doug approves_, he thought. _At least I have one friend who'll help me. _He sighed, catching Audrey's eye. _There's got to be more to being king than just ruling over my subjects. I need to prove that heroes and villains aren't all that different._

The recurring image of the girl floated into his mind once more. _I'll find you. No matter what it takes. I promise._


	4. Disorder in the Court

Ben shifted anxiously in his seat. His gaze darted frantically around the enormous courtroom as the empty rows of chairs and tables began to fill at an alarming rate. Immediately, his heart rate spiked and he clenched his hands around a pencil, trying to hide his nervousness. To his left sat Belle, looking as regal and entirely uncomfortable as ever. To his right, Beast rose to his feet to shake hands with several members of the court, exchanging cordial pleasantries. Ben sat there, attempting a half-convincing smile, nodding a friendly hello to anyone who passed. He fiddled with the pencil, taking deep breaths, trying to mentally prepare himself for what was to follow.

"Greetings." Beast's voice echoed throughout the hall. Almost immediately, the loud clatter of talk and scuffing chairs subsided as everyone took a seat and looked up at the king expectantly. "I wish you all welcome. Before we begin, I would like to announce that my son, Ben, will be joining us today. As many of you know, he is nearing his sixteenth birthday and he has a request to make before all of you at the conclusion of this meeting. And now, without further ado, I call this meeting of the King's Council to order. You may begin to present your agendas."

As Ben watched, the other council members began to line up in a neat, orderly row. Some held folders in their hands. Some held small note cards. But, somehow, Ben knew, each had something very important to say. And it was Doc and Grumpy, two of the seven dwarfs, Doug's uncles, who approached the stand first.

"Sire," Doc began in his usual calm, collected, and authoritative voice. Ben blinked in surprise. The only dwarf he knew was Doug, and the boy had no sense of authority whatsoever. Ben had assumed that all dwarfs were the same. But not Doc. "It has come to our attention that there have been...how should I put it..._weird disturbances_...throughout the land. Reports are of earthquakes in Charmington, tsunamis around the Under-Sea Kingdom, even here in Auradon there appears to be a high level of magic circling the atmosphere."

Beast sat back to ponder this. He frowned slightly and raised a hand to cover it. "I see. And are there any leads as to what might be causing it?"

There was silence for a moment before anyone was willing to answer. And it was Doc who once again stepped forward to reply. "No, Sire. In fact, the only lead we can distinguish is a slight tip in the balance of magic from somewhere near the Isle."

A whisper transformed into a thunderous roar that spread rapidly through the hall. Fear flickered through many of the heroes' eyes. Was a villain close to breaking free? Were they safe? Seeing he was about to lose control, Beast rose to his feet abruptly. "Order!" he called. The noise was too much and easily drowned out his attempt. Ben, noticing his father's expression, hastily slapped his hands over his ears and braced himself.

"SILENCE!"

The room fell silent almost instantly. Many seemed accustomed to the Beast's temper by now and simply sunk quietly into their seats. "_Now_," the king went on sternly. "Let's remain calm. We don't have any proof that this has any connection to the Isle at all. Right, Doc?" He turned toward the dwarf hopefully.

Doc nodded. "Of course, Sire."

"There. See?" Beast sat back on his throne with a smirk. "No reason to panic. No reason at all. Now, let's continue."

The remainder of the meeting ran, for the most part, relatively smoothly. Cogsworth brought forth a suggestion of more days off for workers, Sabastian suggested hosting the yearly Royal Ball (which, Belle reminded Ben in a whisper, much to his dismay, was something he'd be required to attend that year), and Snow White (timidly) brought forward the concept of a national holiday for animals. Beast kindly listened to all suggestions, generously agreeing to most and giving helpful tips to making them more successful.

And, at last it was Ben's turn. As the last of the council members took a seat, he slowly rose to his feet. He was suddenly consciously aware of all the stares on him. It was highly uncomfortable, reminding him of the paparazzi at the school, and he tugged nervously at his tailored suit.

"And now, my son, Ben, would like to speak," Beast called. He turned to face the prince, giving him a you-got-this look. Ben gulped and gave a weak smile. He was sure his father would not be think the same if he knew what his son was about to propose. "Go ahead, son," Beast added, taking off his glasses and sitting back, opening the floor to the young man.

Ben cleared his throat and mentally recited his speech. Doug had written it (the boy could be very grandiloquent when he chose) and had forced Ben to memorize it. Now, standing before some of the greatest heroes of all time, Ben was eternally grateful to the dwarf. "Greetings Ladies and Gentlemen of the Court," he began, his voice bouncing off of the wall. He winced slightly and dialed his volume back a few decimals. "For those of you who don't know me, I'm Ben. And I've come with a request for all of you." He paused and swallowed back the lump of fear. "I would like to make a proposition," he went on. "That the kids on the Isle of the Lost, the children of the villains, be given a chance to come here...to Auradon."

He braced himself. He knew, just by his friends' reactions, that there would be an explosion in the hall, but nothing could have prepared him for the response he received. The room immediately erupted into protestant shouts. Ben cringed back and felt both his parents jump to their feet in shock and he couldn't force himself to turn and face them. He just wanted to shrink away, curl up in a corner, hide for the rest of his life, never show his face again. Chad and Audrey had been right. The court wouldn't accept his idea. They wouldn't accept the VKs.

"The children of the villains? Are you _crazy_? We can't let those _monsters_ in here! They'll destroy us all!"

The voice came from near the back of the room. Ben squinted, trying to pinpoint the source of the voice, but could see nothing through the sea of faces. The hall was in an uproar. Ben could feel his irritation building. Why wouldn't they just hear him out? Were the VKs so inferior that they did not deserve a chance at a normal life as well? He could feel the anger growing, and he summoned it into one long breath.

"QUIET!"

The halls went deathly still and all eyes stared at him in shock. They may have been accustomed to Beast's outrages, but they'd never heard Ben's. And, quite frankly, neither had Ben. He could feel himself starting to turn a bit red and knew he would be forcibly removed if he went on, but he wasn't about to back down. Not now. If he wanted the court to listen to him, he had to prove that he was serious. And there was only one way to do that.

"I'm going to the Isle," he announced. Beast and Belle stepped forward to protest and Belle began to speak, but Ben cut her off. "And I'm going to find four children who have good hearts and bring them back with me. I'll be back at the next meeting with the VKs. And then you'll see that they aren't all bad. Thank you." With that, he turned and began to descend the steps to the lower floor and the door.

"Court adjourned," he heard Beast say behind him as he threw open the doors and stalked into the hall, startling his friends who were sitting across the corridor, waiting impatiently. Chad glanced back from a mirror and flashed a dumb grin as Audrey finished touching up her makeup and Doug quit investigating a suit of armor.

"Well, _that_ sounded promising," Doug commented sarcastically as Ben turned away from them and stormed off down the hall.

"Ben! Ben, come on, wait up!" Chad added, sprinting after him. Sharing a look, Doug and Audrey followed.

"Come on, Ben, what did they say?" Doug questioned as they caught up and fell in step alongside him.

"They didn't_ say_ anything," Ben responded. "They screamed it at me."

"They denied your plan," Audrey said.

Ben nodded.

"Well, I guess that's that then, right?" Chad said. He didn't sound very heartbroken about it as he slapped Ben encouragingly in the back. "We'd better get back to school then, huh? We have a tourney tournament tomorrow. And I don't know about you, but I'd like to get a good night's sleep so I can look my best for the girls."

Doug raised an eyebrow, but kept quiet.

Ben shook his head. "No, you guys, you don't get it. I'm not giving up on this. I _need _to do this."

"But the council said no, Benny-Boo," Audrey reminded him, not-too-gently. "And you can't go above the council."

"I know," Ben sighed. "I may...have told them that I was going to the Isle myself."

"_What_?" Chad gasped. "Are you out of your mind? You can't go there! It's not safe! There are hundreds of villains that would like nothing more than to kill you. Have I mentioned it's not safe?"

"That doesn't matter," Ben retorted. "It's the right thing to do. And..." he hesitated. They were _really _going to hate what he was about to ask of them next. "I was hoping you all might come with me."

Audrey's eyes widened to four times their normal size. Chad's smile faded to a scowl. Doug turned paler than a sheet. Ben noticed all of this and sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Look, I understand if you don't want to," he went on quickly. "It's just...I _really feel_ this could be a _great _thing, you know? I think Auradon really needs this. And you all are my friends. So, I'm asking you as my friends, come with me. Help me prove that there really is good on the Isle of the Lost."

They stared. A minute passed. And then two. And then, slowly, Audrey shook her head. "No," she said gently. "I love you, but this plan of yours, it's all _a really bad idea_."

Chad, after glancing at her and hearing her opinion, quickly nodded in agreement. "Yeah, man, what if something goes wrong? Wouldn't be a lot safer to stay here?"

"'Safe' isn't the point, Chad," Ben responded. "But I understand. I'll respect your wishes. Hey," he added, putting a hand on Chad's shoulder. "I'll see you guys later, okay?" They nodded and began to walk off. Now, Ben turned his gaze on the last of his friends. "Doug?"

The dwarf coughed nervously and adjusted his glasses. "You know I'm there for you, Ben. I don't...I don't..._like_ this. Something's bound to go wrong. It always does. And...I _really_ don't think you should be there by yourself when it does."

_Does that mean what I think it does?_ Ben waited, feeling a spark of hope bloom in his chest. "Does that mean-"

"It means I'm coming with you." Doug confirmed with a small nod. "When do we leave?"

* * *

So...cold.

Dark...so...dark...

Hungry...hurt...hungry...cold...

Magic...heroes...could taste...hero...blood...coming there...

It was time...time...hungry...heroes...

The _fools_.


End file.
